Tears of pride...

Remembrance

Noreen. I miss you.

Sweet child of mine? Awesome!

foxy disappearance//heroes of the new world

yes, I'm alive and around...life has been taken over by AlterEgo Productions and the latest play - The Leopard and The Fox. More on that here: http://www.alteregoproductions.org/

I had to break my silence to exalt the heroes of the new world - Al Gore and the IPCC - validated by the Nobel Peace prize today: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7041082.stm

Happy Navrathri!!
Happy Friday!!
-Ammu

A sight for sore eyes

I was shocked this morning to see NYC streets not painted in the harsh yellow of cabs.....but instead large colorful flowers!! I thought I was going mad till I saw 100's of these colorful cabs. I googled to arrive at the following: -
http://www.portraitsofhope.org/git/about_git.php

Portrait of Hope's non-profit program - "Garden in transit" is a large community art project underway in Manhattan.

"As part of this groundbreaking motivational art, education, and creative therapy project, thousands of kids in schools, hospitals, and community institutions are painting vibrant flowers -- symbolizing joy, life, beauty, and inspiration -- on adhesive weatherproof panels that will be applied to the hoods, trunks and/or roofs of thousands of New York City taxis. Beginning in September 2007 and until year's end, New York City will be visually transformed, as the ubiquitous yellow icon becomes a mobile artistic canvas or -- "Garden in Transit.""

I think this is uber-cool. Cheers to this amazing idea...
-Amrita

I left my heart in Egypt

My love story with Egypt began when I started reading about the temples of Abu Simbel and Pharoahs in secondary school. I spent years and years dreaming about visiting one day...but I had yet to make a concrete plan. Then one new york morning, a cabbie from Cairo re-kindled that dream in me. And so it began...

I started toying with the idea of actually going to Egypt. A few random emails to friends and casual research got the process flowing. We found an amazing tour via Contiki and started researching dates. I couldn't believe it was happening! It all seemed unreal. We encountered numerous hurdled with visas and tickets.....but in the end, we ended up making it to Egypt!! What followed was 10 of the most unforgettable days of my life. All other travels and adventures have paled in comparison.

I had to pinch myself when I got out of the Cairo airport. I felt I belonged to Egypt the moment i arrived there....it was very strange. It was as if I had found a missing part of my life. Our tour guide, Mohammed, gave me the name - Amun (derived from Amu, derived from Amrita). Amun as in the Sun God. Amun as in the most powerful God of Egypt.

From witnessing the glory and architectural wonders of Karnak, Abu Simbel and Luxor; to having endless discussions about Akhenaten, Ramesses, Tuthmosis and Nefertiti; I felt a deep contentment. Leaving Egypt has left me numb. It was as if Egypt was the way of life and everything else was irrelevant. It was not a casual vacation for me...it was an unforgettable journey.

Shukran,
-Amun
P.S: Stay tuned for a day by day account with pictures...

Only in NYC....

...do stores have DJs playing loud music. I was amazed at this spectacle last weekend at the AX store in SoHo. The DJ was fantastic and the created ambience was so peppy that you wanted to buy everything in the shop. Good ploy!

subway cheer

Seen/Heard in subway stations in New York city yesterday....a Monday! The day when the mood levels of New York City are at a precariously impatient high.

~ * ~

Subway conductor announcement on the 4 train heading downtown....

"The next stop is City Hall. The time is 10:45 a.m. Have a lovely day. And
remember, no matter what the destination, happiness is the way!"

The whole car erupted into giggles and wide grins :o)

~ * ~

At the 57th St NRQW station -

On the station super's whiteboard, there was pleasant image of birds over mountains and rivers. And scribbled in the center was - "Smile! Have a great day! :o) "

~ * ~

It was a rainy Monday. There is this pair of African-American old men, who frequent the 1-2-3 subway line. Every time it's raining in the city, they go from car to car and sing a lovely little acoustic bee-bop number. Their act is complete with finger clicking, heel tapping, Ray Charles-y fanfare. Love them!! So needless to say, they made an appearance yesterday....couldn't have been better timing.

~ * ~

A Malagasy Encounter

I have no pictures to prove it happened. But it did.
I met my first blogger buddy today. The Malagasy Dwarf Hippo himself! :) It was really nice to connect to the person behind the great thoughts.

Venue: my favorite brunch place in the city: Eatery.

The transition between online and real life friendship can be quite daunting. The online communication doesnt easily translate to a real connection. I've been there a few times as I met many Zootopians (U2 fanclub) for a lot of the U2 concerts and events.

But, in this case, I felt completely at ease and had a great time. (I hope Lova did too!! :P) Lova was exactly as I had pictured him in my mind. We chatted away about the Gingster and BooBoo, Africa, U2, life, Dr. Mosi, UN, the world being flat etc. Good times!!

Coming up next: Meetup with the folks at Sepia Mutiny. And hopefully the rest of my blogroll... :)

Cheers,
-Amrita

UPDATE:-

Here's a tell-tale photo :)

Virtual Reality: here we come

Just a quickie post...

Mobile snaps invisible art

"Scottish researchers are turning to camera phones to help bridge the virtual and real worlds.

Using image-matching algorithms the researchers have found a way to adorn the real world with digital content.

The technology has already been used to create a guide of Edinburgh that allows people to find virtual artworks placed around the city using their mobile.

Another related project uses the technology to automatically update a person's blog with their location......."

Very interesting....
More later, rushing to work....hopefully it wont be a 3 hour commute today!!

The advent of the late twenties

It's the beginning of a new era in my life. The one in which I get to be responsible, mature...yada yada. I was clinging on to the faint line of early-twenties till now. 25 was a lovely age to be in mentally. As I was not a girl anymore....but not yet a woman either (Britney Spears be damned).

Here's what I was thinking on the last few birthdays... Hahaha! How come I was always dumbstruck by the reality of age?!

August 2006
20 something...I had myself a happy birthday on 6th August :-) Ushered in a brand new year flanked by friends and family. Never before have I felt so special, fortunate and blessed. The wishes from those near and far meant a lot. Many friends actually took the trouble to fly/drive in to NYC to celebrate ...that was just amazing. And celebrate we did.....night out at Crobar where we celebrated both mine and Krishna's birthdays....lazy brunches....dinners at home....chilling at central park...Gooood times!

Potha actually said..."You just completed the best 25 years of your life. It's all downhill from here" Maybe so, but I choose to think not! :-P

Friday, 6th August 2004
Happy Birthday to moi! I think I'm going to stick to the thought that I'm 21....cant relate to the fact that I'm 23 now! Oh well...in an apparent wave of proud proclmations.....heres to meee! lol...hehehe
Song of the day: 'Stairway to heaven' by Led Zeppelin

Wednesday, 6th August'2003
Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeee!! :) i'm 22 today....gosh i feel old! ;) Please see bday pics under the photos section.
Song of the day: 'In da club' by 50 cent

Actually, in all honesty, I'm fine with growing older. The word "Independence" is going to an all new level now. I get to begin a lot of projects that I didn't have the maturity and/or freedom to handle before. I'm taking the initiative to travel and follow my passions. I'm looking at life in a new light as well as I hope to find answers to two big questions by the end of this glorious year. The questions being - What do I see myself doing 5 years from now? And where? Technology has been my interest for a really long time...and I still couldn't give it up. But then there's the other side of me that starts flapping it's wings desperately whenever possible....my alter ego. The Amrita who would rather be a journalist or a social worker or a musician or a stage director. I've been trying to let her take over as much as time and energy would allow. But as internal pressure and restlessness rise, I need to find answers soon.

So what are the deltas in the last week as I crossed the big bridge between 25 and 26? ..... I get annoyed by 20 something scantily clad hipsters in clubs and bars now...shocking!! I want to only hang out at unpretentious joints and spend quality time with intellectuals. I'm also finding it really peaceful to spend a lot of alone time during the week. Self-sufficiency I think it's called.

Hmm...what else is different? Ah yes! The marriage scene. All of a sudden for my elders....I'm precariously close to my expiry date for marriage...cos I'm no longer 25. In the one day, that it took me to turn 26, I'm suddenly too old to be married. My parents are actually quite cool...but they sometimes give in to societal pressure. This is the point when I have to intervene and reiterate for the 200th time that I'm not married yet out of choice...and not some grave tragedy. Mentally, I'm ready to settle down but not settle ...you know what I mean? I'd rather wait for a while and make sure I'm doing the right thing than repent later. I'm too rebellious to settle for anything anyway...so I'm not worried!

Till then, there are oh so many things to be done in life. As one of my friends recently said "30 is the new 20". Cheers to that concept!! :-)

Love,
-Ammu

Happy Birthday to me

Turned 26.....aging like fine wine hopefully :-) YAY!

August 3rd news

- Arkansas couple welcomes 17th child. Is it just me? Or is this ridiculous!!
- It's a long weekend for me... :) Cos hey shawty....ish my budday....on Monday!
- There was a gorgeous clap of thunder outside right now..
- I think some guys have stopped going dutch in restaurants now...they expect the woman to pay... hmm...worrisome
- What should I do with myself on my budday? Spa visit?
- I'm writing performance reviews for work ...and it's booo-ring!
- I just realized that the last few months can be categorized as quarter life crisis
- Strange sub found in NY
- My buddy just got a second ear piercing....i'm really kicked about getting a second one too...an awesome excuse to buy more earrings. (I loove earrings!)
- I love my friends...truly...
- I can't believe i'm in the latter half of the 20's in 3 day! :S
- I need more shoes! And music!

Was listening to:-
~ 'Pehchaan' by Penn Masala
~ 'La Valse d'Amelie' by Yann Tiersen
~ 'Throw it on me' by Timbaland
~ 'Billie Jean' by Caetano Veloso

Love,
-Ammu

Music for the soul

Ack! I woke up today feeling totally crap. A bad headache fuelled by non-stop work since Monday. Yes - I've been working since Monday without a break. Fun fun! And then, I resorted to the cure-all -- music. I've been listening to U2 for the last few hours and the headache's gone...and so's my frustration. It's cloudy outside, all the lights in my house are switched off, feels like it's almost dusk, I'm sitting on my couch and working while sipping coffee....and I'm suddenly smiling again.... :)

Playlist...albums...
- Achtung Baby by U2
- All that you can't leave behind by U2
- Boy by U2
- How to dismantle an atomic bomb by U2
- The Joshua Tree by U2
- October by U2
- Pop by U2
- Under a Blood Red Sky by U2
- War by U2

Love,
-Ammu

Simple pleasures

Lives can be enriched so easily by indulging in the simplest of pleasures....
Here are some of mine, in no particular order....
What are yours?

1. Walking barefeet in grass
2. Walking barefeet on the beach
3. Sitting on my couch, sipping coffee and staring out at the sunset
4. Cosying up next to Tiglu and reading a good fiction novel
5. Dark chocolate
6. Listening to my iPod while going for a walk.
7. Taking a long, hot shower
8. Staring out at the passing scenes from a car
9. The wind in my face
10. Sunsets
11. Sunrise
12. Dancing
13. Old people. I love it when I make them smile.
14. Getting a call/email/IM from a long lost friend
15. Watching a funny movie
16. Watching a romantic movie
17. Friends
18. Getting wet in the rain when i have nowhere important to go
19. the smell of the earth when it starts raining
20. A clean house
21. Laundered clothes
22. Staring at the stars
23. Hiking
24. Driving in Arizona
25. Listening to loud music
26. Listening to soft music
27. Taking photographs
28. Viewing photographs
29. Reading blogs
30. Writing blogs
31. Cooking (sometimes)
32. Water
33. Fitting into clothes that were too tight
34. Birds chirping in the morning
35. the smell of 'agarbatti' in the evening
36. Hugs
37. giggling
38. Snuggled inside the house, sipping tea and watching the rain fall
39. Singing
40. Travelling - but that's not a simple pleasure anymore - usually expensive :)
41. The colors of the sky, the clouds in the sky
42. Convulsive laughter

My ....

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Oh - and also - My Concert Lineup this year. :)

Chilean lake disappears

A 100-ft deep lake disappeared suddenly in Chile over the course of the last 2 months. Global Warming? But the ice is still there!! Hmm....someone must have been really thirsty....

Here's a transcript from BBC's article on this.

Scientists in Chile are investigating the sudden disappearance of a glacial
lake in the south of the country.

When park rangers patrolled the area in the Magallanes region in March, the two-hectare (five-acre) lake was its normal size, officials say.

But last month they found a huge dry crater and several stranded chunks of ice that used to float on the water.

One theory is that an earthquake opened up a fissure in the ground, allowing the lake's water to drain through.

"In March we patrolled the area and everything was normal," Juan Jose Romero from Chile's National Forestry Corporation, Conaf, said.

"We went again in May and to our surprise we found that the lake had
completely disappeared. All that was left were chunks of ice and an enormous
fissure."

Geologists and other experts are being sent to the area, which is some 2,000km (1,250 miles) south of the capital, Santiago, to investigate.

The region is shaken by frequent earth tremors and one idea is that a strong
quake which hit the neighbouring region of Aysen in April opened up the fissure
in the bottom of the lake.

A glacier specialist, Andres Rivera, told Chilean newspaper La Tercera that the lake's disappearance seemed to be part of the continual reforming of the landscape. The Magallanes area "has seen interesting changes in the last few decades," he said, noting that the lake itself had not been there 30 years ago.

Awakenings

This is probably the first time in the last 6 or so years of blogging that Amrita's Musings has been post less for a few months. (I personally don’t count photos and videos as posts :P !)It has been a writer's block of the worst kind. Now, as I sit here drinking my cup of hot coffee and watch the rain sing an end to another busy weekend, I think it's time I tried hard to flush out the block.

May has been a month of awakenings - cultural, physical, spiritual, musical and psychological. I'm usually a happy and positive person, but a series of upsetting events in the last couple of months threw me into a very morbid state of mind. I have been stimulating myself rapidly and doing things that make me feel good about myself. I did take one item off the list of 3 things to do before I die - I colored my hair red. Seriously! And it looks fabulous :)

The soundtrack of this musing is ...
- Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's album Tere Bina
- Cafe Del Mar #1
- Lounge Café
- “X&Y” by Coldplay
- Incredible India

Parsing Psychologies...

My mind has been a veritable mish-mash of issues, events, people and stress. While trying to sort through these, I read an interesting quote by Albert Einstein. He said, “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew.” The solution lay in raising my consciousness and investigating possibilities.

I used to live by the phrase “You don’t find happiness, you create it”. But it’s not that simple anymore. Finding mental peace has become a challenge. I attribute New York City to half of the turmoil. The other half is life. I’m not new to dealing with life, but what was missing was a realization of self-worth and my priorities. Thankfully, every experience - good or bad - leads to an increase in self-awareness. You realize what's important to you and what's not. How to deal with people and circumstances. How to manage expectations, of yourself and of others. How to strike the right balance between giving too much of yourself versus being selfish. How to make it in a man's world as a woman. Do I need to stuff a pair of socks down my pants to be recognized for my professional worth?

I felt so wronged a couple of months ago when a relationship came to a crass end. I could have chosen to turn the other way and never talk to the person anymore. But I’ve always lived by the principle of forgiveness. It’s easy to block the person out of your life but it leaves you with such a stinging bitterness that it erodes your soul. So I chose the exact opposite. I detached myself from the hurt and opened all channels of communication. I feel so free now :-) People think I’m stupid…. but I’m only preserving my heart and soul. This relationship did make me realize what was important to me in a partner. So for that, I’m thankful. As pressure builds from the home front and by my imminent 26th birthday, I’m getting nervous as I am also realizing the importance of having someone to share my joys and sorrows with. All in good time my love…all in good time.

Spiritual Sunrise

Summer is here! And the sunshine has done me good. I spent a weekend bumming around on the beach in Southampton. Life looks beautiful when you’re well stocked with Vitamin D and especially when you’re lying in a hammock staring at the blue sky through lush green trees. Suddenly the leaves part and the sun shines through…and everything is ok :-)




Adrenaline Pumping..

It's a spectacular feeling to do a grapevine to ‘bhangra’ with 1000 other people under the brilliant sunshine in Central Park. That was how the SELF workout in the Park went. There were a ton of workout sessions of different kinds. Some friends and I attended most of them. The most funnest of all was “Masala Bhangra” by Sarina Jain. 4-5 hours of sweating it out was a really great way to get the blood rushing through my head.

Musical Me

You know you're different from a typical techie/banker when you read the Rolling Stone on your commute to work instead of WSJ or Economist or Wired!! The 40th anniversary issue has been a fun read so far.

That being said, it's been sad to be stuck in a musical rut. But that's another area that I revived with a bit of help from my friends. I attended a string of concerts in the last month that has left me tingling for more….

Shivkumar Sharma with Zakhir Hussain - Town Hall, May 5th 2007

This was a great concert albeit sleep inducing owing to the soothing strains of the Santoor. Zakhir pulled me out of my lulled state of mind by slapping out unimaginable beats.

Arcade Fire - Radio City Music Hall, May 9th 2007

What a concert? I've loved this band since the days of Vertigo (U2's tour in 2005). I'd never seen them live and jumped at the opportunity when Rick offered me his extra ticket. (Thanks buddy!) The ensemble was phenomenal live! They played some instruments that I'd never even seen before. Very talented and energetic band. It was also great to hang out with my old U2.com gang again. (Missing Noreen and Nivi in the crew)

Raagamala – New Victory Theater, May 13th 2007

Raagamala is a Bharatanatyam troupe from Minneapolis. Founded by Ranee Ramaswamy, the troupe offers a fresh take on the dance form by fusing it with ballet, jazz and folk. The show was great and the finale was spell-binding. Raagamala collaborated with Art Lee's Taiko ensemble - Wadaiko Tokara. The fusion of these 2 beat heavy art forms was magical.

Falu - Mercury Lounge, 31st May 2007

Falguni Shash a.k.a Falu is quite talented. I’d heard of her before but this was the first concert. I’m definitely going back for more. I had a great time at this one. Her voice is powerful and sweet. The band itself is really down to earth and friendly.

Kings of Leon - Roseland Ballroom, June 5th 2007

Ok, what just happened? I used to hate them in Vertigo days....they sounded awful. But they kicked ass in this show. I'm suddenly loving their songs and their performance. There was actually a mosh pit going on during the show....I couldn't believe it! KOL rocked. I'm seeing them again in September

Next up… A.R.Rehman on June 16th 2007. Looking forward to it :-)

And to sum things up…

I’m back. I feel complete. Hopefully, no more serious writer's blocks....
Cheers, Have a good week ahead :-)

Love,
-Amrita

Oh Joe!

Joe Perry = Coolness.
Of all kinds.

And he just proved he's cooler than Ozzy.

International Dance Day

So according to Wiki/Alicia - today is International Dance Day! :) The videos below are a tribute to the styles that I've loved and learnt - hip-hop, salsa, merengue, bachata, kathak, bollywood, belly-dance.

Here's a classical Kathak / Bollywood song which is beautiful in it's fusion of the old and new. We're actually reproducing this for Kathak Ensemble's performance in June at the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. Very excited about this!! :)



Thanks to Alicia for pointing out this video. Looks like my man can dance... ;-) Go (The) Edge!!



And y'all must have seen this one! :)

This makes me very happy!

Coming up in a few weeks......Pirates of the Caribeean - 3 and Harry Potter - 5 ....YAY!!! :-)

हिंदी में पहला पोस्ट

हिंदी में ये मेरा पहला पोस्ट है। शुक्रिया राजेश का कि उसने मुझे ये फीचर दिखाया।
वाह वाह :) बहुत मज़ा आ राहा है हिंदी में लिख कर।

Yosemite!!

I spent this past weekend in Yosemite national park - camping, hiking and being one with nature (excuse the cliche!). It was breathtaking! The camping was super fun - the hiking was super exciting - the experience was mindblowing!! Here are some pictures for you to see what I saw :-)

Cloud covered Yosemite Valley. El Capitan on the left, Bridal Veil Fall and Cathedral rock on the right. Somewhere down the middle is Half Dome and Sentinal Rock...blocked by clouds.



View of the Upper Yosemite Falls from the road. I took this shot with negative exposure and I really like how it turned out :)



Aahhhh - once we setup our camp site by the river - Sri and I took a breather and this was captured perfectly by Mads.



The next morning.....




Some portfolio shots courtesy Sri ;)



Me being myself :)

Recap

I know I know...a whole month between posts....not good/fair!! I cant believe it myself. It's been a whirlwhind month too. London-Bath-Stonehenge-Windsor. Then 2 weeks of quality time with friends who were visiting (day trips to Philly and Brooklyn). Topped with a few weeks of something crazy good. And a very interesting trip to Chicago last weekend. Life's been hectic man! I get a 3 day break before heading off to a camping adventure in Cali. Just thought I'd write in before that. Also to ensure my loyal readers that I am alive :-)
Here are some pics from London meanwhile....

The Great Court of the British Museum



Big Ben at night from the London Eye



Me in the streets of London :)



St.Paul's looms over London city



Keep smiling. Take care. Baila!
-Amrita

When dreams come true

I'm in London....better believe it!
After dreaming about it for more than a decade.....the end result of a totally whimsical plan....I'm in London.

Can I get a Yipppeeeee?? ;)

Cheers!

(adding a pic as proof for Mosi...)

Tagged by the witch doctor

I've been tagged by Mosi.... :)

3 things that scare me -
-Insects & Reptiles
-Dentists
-Horror movies

3 people who make me laugh -
-Maddy
-Poths
-Shwe

3 things I love
-Music
-Family & Friends
-Dancing

3 things I hate
-Hypocrisy
-Dental problems
-

3 things I don't understand
-Hypocrisy - just dont get it!!
-Dental problems - dont get me started
-How Dubya got re-elected in 2004??

3 things on my desk
-Cellphone
-iPod
-Camera

3 things i'm doing right now
-Listening to music
-Drinking water
-Yawning

3 things I want to do before I die
-Go to Egypt!!
-Hike the Inca trail
-Color my hair red

3 things I can do
-Dance
-Sing
-Love

3 things you should listen to
-'Steady as she goes' by The Raconteurs
-'Club Foot' by Kasabian
-'Break it off' by Rihanna & Sean 'the' Paul

3 things you should never listen to
Hmmm....I agree with what Mos said. Listen to everything but only retain what you need.

3 things i'd like to learn
-French (Already started....but it's going slow. Lova - I need help)
-Guitar
-Rollerblading

3 favourite foods
-Idlis with Chatni!! - yum yum yum.
-Anything paneer
-Hummus

3 beverages I drink regularly
-Coffee
-Water
-Vodka ;-) Just Messin....Orange Juice

3 childhood TV shows / books
-Tom & Jerry
-Tintin (book)
-Enid Blyton collection (book)

Cheers and love,
-Amrita

Food fears

There are some fears/notions about food that stay with us over the years and we just cant seem to shake them off. I encountered two such funny food-related incidents today.

Take me for instance:- I cant eat any vegetable that's cut into large pieces. It mortally scares me. The veggies have to be small enough for me to be able to eat them. This is a problem mostly with Broccoli and Cauliflower. I absolutely love broccoli - but since it usually comes in huge sizes, I skip eating it till I find a piece small enough. I'm strange - I know :P

So this issue surfaced today at the cafe at work. A few coworkers and I were standing in the panini line and the only veggie option had huuuge slices of eggplant in it. One look at it, and I shrunk back! I ended up eating soup and salad instead...ahem!!

The lady at Cafe Forant:- I had dinner with a buddy of mine today and we then strolled into this really cute basement cafe for dessert and java. It was run by a very adorable lady who baked and cooked everything in that store (and her dog Chula was amazing!). My eyes fell on some delicious oatmeal-cranberry cookies. They were heavenly....yum yum! :) I asked her why not the regular oatmeal-raisin? She said that when she was a kid, she had assumed that the raisins were actually chocolate chips. When she found out the truth, she could never bring herself to eat oatmeal-raisin cookies ever again!! She was heartbroken...so she resorted to making oatmeal cookies cranberries instead....good for me eh? haha.

So what are your food fears? :-)
-Amrita

Images changing India today

Women-only cab service in Mumbai

"It addresses real concerns of female commuters. More women are traveling alone as they break with traditional roles and enter the workplace or even just to go out for the evening. Although Mumbai is considered safer than most cities on the subcontinent, where sexual harassment is rife, Indian women and visiting tourists often complain about being leered at by male cab drivers."

This is an excellent idea. We definitely need this in all metropolitans in India. I remember feeling really helpless in Delhi this year when I couldn't travel anywhere after sunset. Kudos to Roy. I hope Forsche works and takes off well.

As for the cliche about women drivers, Roy says: "It's mainly men who are involved in road arguments and accidents. Women are safe drivers and my women will rock."

Hear! Hear! Below image courtesy BBC.

__________________________________________________

Indian Air Force celebrates Platinum jubilee

Really impressive display. Read the article to get the full story.

Below image courtesy BBC.

A relax(zz)ing Sunday

What is the probability that on 2 separate weekends, my continental airlines flight to Chicago gets cancelled because of storms? The first was in November and then now this weekend in March. It's a cruel joke really.

So considering that I found myself totally free this weekend (except for a few social commitments on Saturday), I decided to do something that I hadnt done in a loooong long time - Spend Sunday lazing about the house. It is seriously the best form of bliss there is.

I woke up and had chai with my neighbor who is also a really good friend. We pontificated about life in general while listening to some amazing music. The soundtrack was Motorcycle Diaries and we drifted off to a world of adventures, greenery, trains and history. Then I proceeded to listen to more music while catching up with friends online and doing nothing of any significance. This was immediately followed by a beatific siesta. And then a dinner date with 2 of my good friends. So that in my opinion was the best Sunday in a long time :-)

Books I've read/am reading of late:-

Kite Runner by Khaled husseini:- Emotional rollercoaster. Loved it. Even cried while reading it.

Namesake by Jhumpa Laheri :- I really wanted to find out what the big deal about this book was. It is a really deep story and I was really distraught while reading it. I cant say I loved the book but that's probably due to the high expectations built about it. I am really excited about the movie though - especially cos it has Kal Penn playing the part of Gogol Ganguli. Really cool article about him in the amNewYork today. I've loved him since the days of American Desi....so i cant wait! :)

The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen :- Still on the first chapter.

The India Model by Gurcharan Das: - Fantastic piece of work. This paper was pointed out to me by a friend. I was impressed by it so much that I have to list it here. Give it a read. A few facts that jumped out at me: I was not aware that the outsourcing industry in India accounts for 20$ B! Or that half of our population is under the age of 25!!

Albums of Sunday:

- The Motorcycle Diaires OST
- Samandar by Rahul Sharma
- Garden State OST
- Corrine Bailey Rae's self titled album

The Taj (Dilli Diaries Day 2)

Here are some pictures from the second day of my trip back home. A visit to the Taj with my best friend from high school. Took a ride on a 2nd class seating taj express....quite adventurous to say the least. Took the whole architecture of the beautiful bldg in. One of the best trips of my life. I was surprised by how clean and well maintained the Taj really was. (But of course Smits and me decided that Shah Jahan was a pompous arse ;-) ..)









Adios!
-Amrita :)

Home

If this isnt utopia...I dont know what is.

Happy Birthday dearest dancer

Happy Birthday my dearest Noreen!
Love you, miss you...I'm sure you're dancing in heaven :)



~Amri

Wassup wassup? Movies!

You know the feeling when you keep piling up things to do and nothing gets done? That's the way I've been feeling about blogging over the last month or so. I have so many stories to recite from my trip to India and life in general....that I keep thinking that I'll sit down one day and just post them. But it just hasnt happened. So what the fuck...I'm just going to blog anyway cos I'm missing it. I'll slip in all my stories now and then. Cheers!

I saw Blood Diamond today. What a movie?! Action packed - Moving - Well shot - Beautiful people - Excellent acting. It covers the story of lives destroyed during the war over conflict diamonds in Africa. I wont reveal the story here of course...no worries. I did learn a new acronym though - TIA (This is Africa) - very negative feeling. (I'm trying to keep away from ranting about that issue)

Anyway, back to the movie...I've had a crush on Leo DiCaprio since...well...Titanic. Now, now, stop shaking your heads. I was in high school and completely entitled to fall in love with him then ;-) So the crush continued over the years and Leo has vindicated me. You can see his amazing acting in movies like Catch me if you can, The Aviator, The Departed and now Blood Diamon. I reckon he'll win an Oscar this year! :-D The other beautiful people in the movie were Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. So quite an excellent movie to watch on a Tuesday night ;-) heh.

Other movies that I caught up on - all Indian of course as I'm still on a 'des' induced appetite.
- Guru - Abhishek Bacchan and Mani Ratnam - great piece of work!
- Salaam e Ishq - Too long but funny and Govinda was hot!
- Nayagan - as part of a Mani Ratnam movie bonanza
- Roja (for the 20th time) - ditto.

So yeah. Movies, friends and work - that's what I've been upto since I came back. The weeks are melting away and it's already time to say goodbye to January 2007. Jeeez!

I did break the jinx and finally visited a New York museum! :-) I went to the Museum of Natural History and also saw an IMAX movie there. This one was called 'Roving Mars'. My favorite though will always be 'Grand Canyon - The Hidden Secrets'. That one's just amazing.

Think I've rambled enough for now. I'll be back again...with stories and pictures this time.
Cheers...and happy hump day.
Love,
-Amrita

It snowed today

In Manhattan....and it actually collected on the streets! :-)

I woke up to a really dark day. I couldnt figure out why it was still so dark considering it was 6 a.m. I looked out the window to see tiny snowflakes falling and the street covered in a thin sheet of whiteness. That made my day.

A little later, I could see the snow coming down hard. So I opened up my window to catch a few flakes and the wind blew a few hundred flakes in. I giggled. It was beautiful. Have you ever stuck your tongue out to catch a flake? Try it...It's the most childlike experience you could have.

(And yes, I'm back. I'll post a few pictures and give you all my stories hopefully soon)

Music to rise to:
The Strokes - "You only live once"
The Strokes - "Razorblade"
Shamur - "Gonna make it"
Ustad Sultan Khan - "Leja Leja Re"
Atif Aslam - "Mahiya Ve Soniya"

Love,
-Amrita